Conventional workflow systems exist which allow enterprises to formalize the processes by which the enterprises achieve their business objectives. Such workflow systems may provide step-by-step descriptions of tasks which must or should be performed as part of the workflow, so that individuals or groups within the enterprise can be assigned individual (or groups of) tasks. The tasks may be dependent upon one another; for example, a task may only be begun upon completion of a prior task(s), or tasks may be included in interative task loops. Additionally, the tasks may have more complex dependencies, requiring application of extensive logic rules to ensure proper completion of the workflow.
Examples of such conventional workflows can be found explicitly or implicitly in almost any enterprise. For example, a manufacturing plant may have a workflow for producing a particular type of good. As another example, an organization selling goods may have a workflow for obtaining the goods, inputting orders and/or payments for the goods, selecting a shipper for shipping the goods, and updating an inventory record based on the sale.